Through the Eyes of Another
by Diagon Alley II
Summary: Sometimes, we fall in love with an OC and want to read about the unseen moments of their lives. A collection of one-shots written by the members of the Diagon Alley II forum, using the OC's that they've come to love from reading about them. Featuring a series of one-shots spanning multiple generations, all set in the HP universe.
1. Soon it will be Christmas Day

**Warning: The Following Stories Contain Spoilers For the Stories Mentioned in the Title of Each One-Shot.**

* * *

**Soon It Will Be Christmas Day**

**_-Written by NovaArbella using the character of Cassiopeia Malfoy from the Lord of Shadows Series by NightmarePrince-_**

"Albus, no!" Cassiopeia Malfoy cried as Albus Potter came out of nowhere and grabbed her hands. He began to twirl her around and around, leaning back and pulling on her arms so that she had to do the same in order to keep up or else be thrown down onto the grass.

It was an early spring day at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Cass had been walking back up to the castle after a Herbology lesson. Albus had been walking down to the greenhouses for his own Herbology lesson.

They spun and spun, Cassie laughing breathlessly, until, suddenly, Albus let go and Cass found herself thrown backward, tripping over her own feet, pulled off balance by her heavy bag. She took a few stumbling steps and found herself chest high in the cold waters of the Black Lake.

"Cass!" Albus cried, horrified. "I didn't mean it, Cassie! I didn't know we'd gotten so close to the water!"

He splashed into the lake and pushed his way through the water to her, sweeping her up and carrying her onto the bank, despite her protests that she knew how to walk. Sputtering apologies the whole way, he deposited her on the ground and immediately pulled out his wand to cast a Hot Air Charm so he could dry her off.

She'd meant to be mad at him for ruining her expensive new school shoes, but found that any complaints or anger she'd had were no match for the please-don't-hate-me look on Albus' face. "You are a buffoon," she replied, knowing right then and there that she would most likely spend the rest of her life with this man. She just had to figure out a way to get him to see it too.

* * *

Cassiopeia Astoria Potter jerked herself awake. She was sitting in the chilly alcove window seat of her room in Malfoy Manor, just as she had been when she'd nodded off a few minutes ago. Now, she hugged her knees to her chest and absently ran her chin over the soft flannel pants she wore. If she stood up, the pants were very likely to simply slide off her thin frame to puddle on the floor around her feet, but she couldn't bear the thought of wearing anything else to sleep in, so she just cinched them as tight as she could and would occasionally cast a temporary sticking charm to keep them on her narrow hips.

She thought back to her dream, remembering that day as clearly as if it had just happened. Albus had seen her walking up the path to the castle, trying to find something inside her backpack. He could tell that she didn't notice him coming and, in a fit of giddy early spring antics, had swooped up to her, grabbed her hands, and started spinning. It was entirely uncharacteristic of him, but it had been how he'd felt on the inside when he'd seen her, so he'd gone with the impulse.

She knew this because it was something he'd confessed to her, years after the event. He'd said that he'd known right then that someday, he'd have the courage to tell her how he felt about her. While they were spinning, he had thought that it might even be that day, but then he'd accidentally gone and flung her in the lake and all the right words had fled in his horror.

A few small stirring sounds broke the silence in the dark room and Cass held her breath, willing her baby daughter to stay asleep in the beautiful crib that had cradled every new Malfoy baby for as long as anyone in the family could remember. There was an etching in the enchanted wood of the foot of the crib which would change with each new owner. For Cass it had depicted a beautiful maiden, for her unborn son, Leo, a lion, and now, for Aurora, it was a bright, many beamed ray of light which would periodically change colors, depending on the mood of the infant within.

For now, luck was on Cass' side. Aurora didn't wake and the beams of the light stayed the soft muted green color that indicated the baby was asleep and dreaming sweet dreams. Cass sighed in relief and, trying to forget her dream, turned to the window. Resting her forehead against the cool glass with another, more wistful sigh, her breath fogged the pane and obscured the view of her grandmother's rose garden, just barely visible out on the Manor grounds. Balling up the extra material of the baggy sweatshirt she was wearing, she wiped away a little circle of the fog so that her view was no longer obscured. The fabric made a small squeaking sound against the glass.

Traditionally, there should be small glowing fairies dancing amongst the pale blooms of the rose garden, it was Christmas Eve after all. But this year Cass hadn't been able to bear the thought of celebrating, so she'd requested that anything that she could see from her window remain undecorated. Her family had acquiesced to her request and had gone even further to show their support for her and their love for Albus and grief over his death. For the first time since anyone could remember, much of the Manor was devoid of the lush trappings that were usual around the holidays.

There were no ropes of holly and berries climbing the stairway banisters, no enchanted mistletoe hung in the doorways, and gone were the never melting icicles that usually hung from each piece of crown molding that ran around the lofty vaulted ceilings. Only the family stockings hung on the bare mantelpiece that usually displayed a tiny working winter village scene, complete with miniature shoppers and gently falling magical snow.

They had forgone the usual beautiful instrumental Christmas music that would play softly in the background of each room and even the normally towering silver and green, ornament laden Christmas tree was a stunted and muted affair this year. It was barely taller than her father and held only the most precious of family ornaments. Cass had been surprised when the spells had gone uncast and the trappings remained packed in the attic, and though she appreciated her family's silent support, she had been too forlorn to say much about it.

Cass caught herself before she could re-fog the window pane with another sigh. Though she was unsure of how much time she'd spent lately, watching the stars shine down on the spectral blooms that her grandmother had cultivated and cared for for so long, she knew she felt most connected to Albus when she could see them there, pale petals, and dark, all bathed with silvery moonlight.

Albus had been gone for nearly ten months now. Their world had beaten him down so often and so hard that he'd finally lost all control. There had been such great, raw, untapped, unrefined power inside him, he'd been unable to control it and it had destroyed him. Incapable of dealing with the unfairness and unjustness around him any longer, the darkness had finally burst forth, horrible and uncontrollable.

It had shaken the very core of the earth and had come close to ending everything. Albus had almost annihilated the entire world. Even now wizards and Muggles alike were still recovering from the devastating destruction.

Cass closed her eyes and forced her thoughts away from what had happened, gazing again at the roses in the distance, magically kept alive year round, even through the chill of winter.

She had loved the garden best of any place when she'd been young. Albus had known that and had proposed to her there. Their son had been conceived there. They'd been married there. Cass had lost track of all the other happy times she'd known there between childhood and now. Playing amongst the bushes with her brother and father, walking through the rows with Albus, simply sitting alone and admiring the beautiful blooms as she contemplated the story of her grandmother that lay behind them. The spot held some of the happiest memories of her life.

She knew for sure that her happy times were over now. She'd been certain of that ten months ago when Albus had been killed by his brother James. Of course, Albus had begged James to do it. He had struggled through the darkness and the anger and the hate and had begged his older brother to save everyone by ending his life. It had been a noble sacrifice, but that didn't change the fact that now it was Christmas and he wasn't here with his wife and baby daughter.

In a way, Cass blamed the world for Albus' death. She blamed every single person who'd ever assumed themselves superior to someone else simply because of blind, stupid prejudices. She blamed everyone who'd ever hurt anyone else over those same assumptions.

She, Albus, her siblings and her friends had all suffered in Hogwarts under the stigma of belonging to Slytherin house. Green and silver had been shunned during their time there. They had been treated as somehow less that other witches and wizards and the Outcasts had been born. The world outside of the school hadn't been very much better and eventually a new order had bloomed within the Wizarding world.

The Outcasts had shared the common goal of making their world a more equitable place, but the old hate and prejudice still ran deep in the hearts of some. Albus' own father had pushed his son over the edge. He'd pushed him so far into the darkness that Cass had been unable to reach him, she'd been unable to save him from himself and she'd lost him. She'd lost a piece of herself as well and knew in her heart, which Albus would hold forever, that nothing would ever be the same and she'd never be truly happy again.

Even the birth of her daughter had been a bittersweet, double edged sword, for though the baby had been perfectly healthy, she had Albus' eyes. It had been a stab to Cassie's poor shredded heart. She'd lost her first child and her husband before she'd been twenty five and now her only reason in the world to go on living could break her heart by simply looking up at her.

A single tear leaked from the corner of her eye and she let it make it's way down her porcelain cheek, unhindered. It dripped from her chin onto her knee and Cass watched it sit there, catching the moonlight before it was absorbed into the fabric of Albus' favorite pajama pants. For the last ten months she'd practically lived in these pants and the over sized hooded sweatshirt that bore the emblem of Slytherin house on the front, which had been another favorite of her late husband. These were some of the few things that could truly comfort her these days.

Her step mother, Hermione, had offered to shrink them down to fit Cass' slim frame, but Cass had refused as politely as she possibly could. For some reason she'd wanted to rage at the older witch's proposal, but knew that she wasn't thinking straight. Hermione had made the suggestion with nothing but kindness and concern in her heart, Cass knew that she didn't deserve the anger that had built up inside of her.

She'd barely left the manor since the Cataclysm and knew that soon she would have to buoy herself and return to her position as head of the potions department at Malfoy Holdings, but she just didn't feel ready yet. She doubted that she ever would. She knew that eventually she'd be able to fake it, though she'd hate every second of it. But right now, she wasn't ready to try.

Although she no longer spent her days quietly weeping into her pillows, so that her family wouldn't hear her grief, she was still disarmed by the oddest of things. Last week it had been the sound of her brother, Scorpius, opening a bottle of butterbeer.

Albus had loved butterbeer and would drink at least three bottles a day. She'd grown used to the quiet little pop sound that accompanied a bottle being uncorked, and she had turned quickly, her already pale skin going just a bit paler, her silken hair fanning out across her face as she'd fixed Scorpius with a strange gaze.

"What?" he'd questioned, a confused look on his face.

"Nothing," she'd replied with a twitch of her head, tossing her pale, silver blond hair off of her face. She'd retreated back to her room and hadn't come back out again for three days, relying on the house elves to bring her what she needed, taking comfort in caring for her daughter during that time.

If little things like that could still throw her so easily, she had no business being in the potions lab where one wrong move could have dire results.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a sudden drop in temperature in the room. Cass closed her eyes briefly as a fist squeezed at her heart. She could feel Albus' Shadow before she saw him and her breath began to come out in small white puffs of vapor. Grabbing her wand, she cast a Warming Charm on the baby's crib before Albus coalesced before her eyes.

He was nothing but dark and shadow and cold, but for his eyes. His eyes were still the same ones she'd fallen in love with when she'd been just a young girl, with no idea of the hardships that lay ahead of her. They were the same color as the emerald that adorned the wedding band that she'd vowed never to remove after Albus had died and she'd bound his Shadow to her heart.

He joined her in the window seat, just as he used to when he'd really been here, settling his back against the opposite wall and tangling his feet with hers, turning them into blocks of ice when his darkness touched her.

"Happy Christmas," he whispered, his voice somehow... less than it had been when he'd been alive. It was thinner now, more of an echo than a true voice.

"It's only Christmas Eve," she whispered back, trying to fight the urge to pull her feet away and tuck them underneath her to warm up again.

Albus shook his shadowy head. "It's midnight."

Cass checked the clock on the wall and shrugged. "So it is. Happy Christmas, Albus," her voice broke and she held back a sob, knowing that it distressed him to see her cry when he could do nothing to comfort her. "I miss you so much."

"Please don't cry," he implored.

"Not crying," she lied, swiping at her eyes and turning her face to the windows again. It was amazing how alone she could feel in a house inhabited by her family, while her husband and her child shared the room with her.

Albus tried to cup her cheek and turn her to face him, but he couldn't touch her. All he could really do was let his hand hover near her, and hope she'd turn like he wanted her to.

Cass felt the coldness radiating off of what should have been his hand and turned, knowing it was what he wanted. Another fist squeezed her heart as she tried to study his face. She wasn't sure if it was real or not, but sometimes she thought she could see Albus' expression in the shadows. Sometimes there were darker bits and lighter bits that seemed to make up his nose, mouth, cheeks, and brow and she imagined that she could see what he was thinking by reading his expression, just as she had been able to when he'd been a mortal man. Or maybe she just knew him so well that she was imagining all of it. She just didn't know.

"Cass..." he began, but she cut him off. She knew what he was going to say.

"No, Albus," she said firmly. "I can't let you go. I'll die if I let you go."

"Aurora," he ventured.

"Will grow up with Hermione, and my father, and my siblings, and her cousins, wanting for nothing and hearing stories of how her mother died of a broken heart, because she loved her father so much."

"Cass," he sighed and gave up.

"The only way I can stay here for her, is if you stay here with me. You took my heart with you when you left, Albus. I can't live without my heart."

"I know," he sighed again. "I had to go."

"I know," Cass sighed as well and leaned her head back against the wall. After a few minutes silence she added, "Aurora rolled over today," hoping to smooth things over.

"Already?" His misty voice held a recognizable note of surprise and pride.

A small smile cracked Cassie's lips. "She's gifted, like her daddy," she answered with satisfaction.

They sat and talked about Aurora until the sun started to peek over the horizon, turning the sky innumerable shades of pink and orange and sending golden shafts of light through the room. Cass knew that, before long, relatives and friends would start dropping in at the Manor, bringing Christmas cheer for the family and more than a few sympathetic looks for her.

Soon she would have to sit and talk and laugh and watch people hold her daughter and hear them comment on how she had exactly Albus' eyes. She would ignore the stabs to the heart and force herself to chat and smile and would allow Aurora to be away from her for much longer than she wanted.

She'd make herself do all those things while all she would really want to do all day would be to return to her room so that she could call Albus to her again and feel, if only just slightly, that her life hadn't been ripped apart by this whole horrible world that they lived in.


	2. Alfie and the Exorcism of Emily Rose

**Alfie and The Exorcism of Emily Rose**

**-Written by ArtOholic using the character, Alfie Hayes, from the Escapades of Teddy Lupin by NymphxDora-**

Alfie stared at the shite-eating grin on Teddy's face, his own face contorted from worry. He watched as Teddy's eyes turned a bright emerald and his hair changed from its usual turquoise to a violent shade of pink spikes as the latter slowly brought out the rectangular case he had hidden behind his back.

Alfie swallowed and laughed nervously, desperately trying to focus on anything that wasn't the DVD Teddy was now holding up. Unfortunately for him, his curiosity was much greater than his desire to run away and his eyes landed on the cover.

His breath hitched at the sight of the bold red lettering that read _The Exorcism of Emily Rose _with a scary looking tree in the background. At the forefront was the image of the back of a girl as she walked towards the tree, and everything else was covered in white mist.

He whimpered softly when Teddy thrust it into his hands and then held it as far as possible. Teddy's eyes turned a lighter green and his hair wilted slightly, turning a brownish-maroon as he looked at Alfie with worry.

"Mate, are you alright? If you don't want to watch it, we can always watch something else—"

"No!" Alfie said with far more conviction than he actually felt, but nonetheless, Teddy brightened immediately and his candyfloss hair stood straight up as he strode into the living room—Alfie in tow.

Ella looked up from the sofa with pursed lips and pointed at the telly, an almighty scowl on her face. "About time you two lollygaggers arrived! I was going absolutely mental trying to turn this thing off!"

She waved her hand at the LED screen that was blearing loud music and Alfie forgot his fear momentarily to grin down at Ella. It wasn't every day that he, Alfie Hayes, knew something that she, Ella Anderson, didn't. He picked up the sleek black remote from the table and held it up so Ella could see. "You've to press this red button, see? And then it goes off."

He demonstrated by clicking on the power button and Ella's eyes went wide and a flush crept up her cheeks.

"It's as simple as that," Alfie said with a wide grin and Ella shot him a look.

"I knew that!"

"Why'd you ask how to turn it off, then?"

"I did not!"

"Yeah you did!"

"I didn't! I only said I was going mental _trying. _I never said I didn't know _how!"_

Alfie rolled his eyes and shared a knowing look with Teddy as the Metamorphmagus flopped down beside Ella with a laugh. "Don't lets start arguing, now. Alfie, mind putting it in so we can start?"

Ella promptly smacked Teddy on the arm and the two boys looked on with confused amusement as the girl turned a mighty shade of red. "Don't—Don't say _putting it in _like that!" she blustered and turned away, now completely red in the face.

Both boys shared wide-eyed looks and Alfie felt his own face flush as he hurriedly turned towards the DVD player and placed the DVD in it. Teddy was guffawing loudly behind him and Ella was unsuccessfully trying to cover her embarrassing blunder by scolding him.

After a lot of purposeless fiddling and dawdling, and Ella and Teddy asking if he was done a half dozen times, Alfie finally sighed and trudged back to the sofa. He fell back onto it beside Ella and she shot him a look. Teddy reached forwards to turn the TV on, but Ella stopped him and then pointed at his hair.

"Is that really necessary?" she asked and Teddy gave her an affronted look.

"I'm only excited! Is that a bad thing, now?"

"No," Ella replied slowly as though she was talking to a child, "but it's ridiculous and absolutely unsuitable for a horror movie."

Teddy nodded thoughtfully and morphed his hair so it fell down his face in straight, jet-black locks that covered half his face and gave him the look of those Muggle teenagers Alfie remembered from before he went to Hogwarts; the ones that wore all black and heavy make-up.

Teddy then turned his skin to a sickly pale shade and even made himself look almost anorexic. Alfie stilled as Teddy smiled slowly—and it looked like a grimace more than a smile—and waited for Ella to tell him off. But, to his utter dismay, Ella simply nodded in approval and sat back, pulling the thick blanket Alfie had laid out, over her legs.

"Let's start, then," Teddy said in an eerie voice that caused Alfie to break out in gooseflesh. He huddled lower in his seat and pulled the blanket over himself so the only parts of him that were seen were his eyes and the top of his head. Ella rolled her eyes at him and leaned towards him as Teddy started the film.

"Alfie, if you don't want to watch it—"

"I'm fine, Ella," Alfie snapped in a muffled voice and Ella pursed her lips at him.

"Fine, then. But you better not wet your pants or start screaming."

Alfie gulped and drew himself as close together as he could, watching through squinted eyes as the initial credits ended. He tensed as the screen went black and prepared himself for whatever was about to come next—

"_Aaaaaaahhhhhhh!" _screamed a voice from the TV.

"Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!" screamed Alfie.

Both Ella and Teddy jolted because of how loudly Alfie had screamed and turned to stare at him. They shared a look and Ella slowly reached forwards to elicit a trembling Alfie from within the folds of the blanket.

"Alfie?"

He turned fearful eyes to her and she smiled gently at him. She nodded for Teddy to un-pause the film and Alfie froze in his seat, hands pressed against his ears and eyes squeezed shut. After a time, he felt Ella's cool hands pull his own from his ears and cracked his eyes open to see her offer him a small smile.

"It's alright, now," she whispered softly and he nodded slowly and settled back against the sofa. He breathed deeply, still trembling from his previous moment of terror and thanking Merlin and Jesus for not making him wet his pants. He'd never be able to live that down.

He kept himself distracted for about forty minutes after the film started and then began sinking low in his seat as things started to get scary again. He shut his eyes, completely unwilling to let himself be traumatised, and a minute later, he felt Ella grab onto his arm.

He looked up at her through lidded eyes to see that she was sitting completely still, her eyes as large as saucers and her lower lip trembling as she clung onto Alfie tightly. The scene turned less scary soon and Ella relaxed, her grasp on his arm loosening and causing him to wince at how tight it had been. He rubbed his arm and glanced to see that Teddy and Ella were staring at the screen with rapt attention.

Alfie then decided that he would go make them some juice and popcorn, but as he slowly got up, Ella grabbed his wrist and looked at him with wide eyes.

"Where are you going?" she asked softly and he motioned towards the kitchen. She shook her head and tugged on his arm. He felt something warm settle in his stomach as he eyed Ella for a second and then nodded. He sat back onto the sofa and pulled the blanket over him just as the film went into another scary flashback.

Alfie felt Ella tense beside him and without thinking, reached for her hand from under the blanket. He felt her still and mentally berated himself for being stupid, but then he felt her relax and her fingers intertwine with his. Just as the girl in the film—who was apparently Emily Rose—began screaming, Ella clutched onto his hand and huddled closer to him.

The scene turned quiet and they watched with bated breath, awaiting the next horrifying moment. It never came, but Ella never moved away or pulled her hand free, causing the warm feeling in Alfie's stomach to triplicate. All of a sudden, he was forgetting that he was absolutely terrified of horror films and absolutely hated them, and was concentrating on the fact that Ella might just be even more frightened than him and just be putting up a front.

He grinned to himself as Ella whimpered softly beside him and shifted slightly when she huddled closer.

But all too soon, Ella clinging to him turned into the two of them clinging onto each other when a particular scene, the flashback of the actual exorcism, started. Alfie breathed in sharply as the lights went out in the film and felt Ella still beside him.

They continued to watch with bated breath, absolutely terrified, when the lights in the living room went off. Ella screamed and threw herself at Alfie and Alfie sat frozen to the spot as the screen crackled and then went black. The two sat completely still, barely breathing, for what seemed like ages, and finally Ella raised her head.

Her eyes looked past Alfie and then she paled and started to tear up. Her hold on Alfie's arm grew unbearably tight and although every cell in his body was telling him not to, he slowly turned to look over his shoulder.

And there, standing less than three feet away, was a woman. Her long, dirty-black hair fell down her face, almost completely obscuring it from view, except for the red eyes that peered through the gaps; her tattered white night gown was ripped and smeared with what seemed like blood; her arms were held in front of her and her bluish, skeletal fingers were cut and missing their nails. She stepped forwards and tilted her head, an eerie, unearthly sound leaving her mouth.

And they were screaming.

Alfie was screaming.

Ella was screaming.

They were clinging onto each other for dear life and screaming.

They were crying and sobbing and begging and screaming.

They were still sitting on the sofa, unable to move, while screaming the whole time.

And neither of them seemed to notice, in all their terrified screaming, that Teddy wasn't beside them, and seemed to have also forgotten the fact that he was a Metamorphmagus.


	3. A Whole New World

**A Whole New World**

-Written by NightmarePrince using the character of Gabrielle Waters from Hogwarts Muggle by NovaArbella-

A/N: The Italics indicate a scene that takes place in the future, the normal font indicates a scene of their first meeting.

(*)(*)(*)

"Muggle," he sneers, raising his eyebrows as he looks down his hooked nose down at her.

"Is that supposed to be an insult, Wizard?" she retorts, a fire burning in her eyes as she folds her arms and taps her foot. His green scarf catches her eyes and she resists the urge to scoff, still not understanding the hype these eccentric people place upon their houses.

He's a Slytherin and from what she's heard, he's one of the few that should be feared. Not that she does, mind you. Brie has been around snakes all her life; she doesn't see why this one would be any more dangerous.

A smirk plays across her lips as his expression goes sour, but she's chosen to walk this path and isn't afraid to have to use a machete to cut her way through the obstacles.

(*)(*)(*)

"_The pictures move," she murmurs in awe, jumping backwards in alarm as the staircase she had been about to climb onto, swings to the left. _

"_Careful, Professor," he says dryly, "We wouldn't want our precious muggle to fall to her death now, would we?"_

"_I imagine that you want that very much, Wizard," she replies, her amazement dimming as she's confronted by this really horrid man. _

"_You're intuitive, I'll give you that," he smirks as he goes on his way, his billowing robes fanning out like the wings of a gigantic bat, though of course no bat could boast hair that greasy. A frown crosses her face as he tenses and looks over his shoulder with an expression of utmost loathing before storming off the way he'd come. _

'_Can he read minds?' she wonders as she waits for the stairs to slide back into their proper place._

(*)(*)(*)

"You misunderstand," he scowls, "You're a muggle – it's not an insult, it's the truth of what you are."

"Am I supposed to be ashamed of what I am, then?" her smirk deepens as he appears at a loss for words. A piece of her wishes that she had worn a pair of heels this morning , it was beyond ridiculous that she had to crane her neck to be able to challengingly meet his empty black eyes.

"I see no reason to be proud of being one," the potions master answers after a lengthy pause and she sees red for some reason she can't fathom. Perhaps it's because Brie has never been able to deal with people who thought themselves superior or bullies of any sort. Maybe her world didn't have broomsticks that could fly or talking portraits, but she'd like to meet a wizard who had been into space.

She tells him as much and he laughs in her face, a cold sound that makes her want to clap her hands to her ears to block out the awful sound. It isn't a real laugh, it's one that's feigned and laced with malign cruelty.

"Show me a muggle who can bottle fame and brew glory?" he shoots back.

"You're looking at one."

(*)(*)(*)

"_Snape, could you try and do your job fairly for once?" she snaps, growing impatient as she watches him defend his own house from what was certainly a week's worth of detentions._

_He reddens before muttering, "Detention tonight with Filch," and then whirls around to face her as the students file out of the classroom. _

"_How dare you belittle my authority in front of my students, Waters?" he all but yells, furious at her for what she's done. No doubt it will be the talk of the school and it may just serve to egg on those insufferable Gryffindors. _

"_They're my students too, Snape," she rises to her full height which isn't very much but her glare is enough to make most men cower in fear, "and unlike you, I don't have any biasness based on House."_

"_Look around, Waters," he snorts, "You don't belong here. You're a muggle."_

"_I'm a muggle and proud to be one, you're just a sorry excuse for a man."_

(*)(*)(*)

"You wouldn't know fame if it hit you in the face," he snorts in derision.

She laughs as him because if only he really knew how famous she was, then he may just hold his tongue. Brie's lived through a lot and she can live through so much more, this git included. Her not having magic was nothing to be ashamed off, it was just a talent that she lacked.

You couldn't be good at everything, she knew that, and some people would always have skills that you did not. Brie knows that, and she wonders in Severus understands that she has skills that he doesn't.

"Maybe if you lost the attitude, you'd realise that the reason people don't like you is because you're just a nasty, sad, little man with no friends and no love."

She turns on her heel and walks away, feeling as though she's just kicked a puppy because of the defenceless look on his face. She wonders if she may have gone overboard and frowns to herself – it's a fact of life that nobody is ever born evil. Who knows what skeletons may lie in Professor Snape's closet to have turned him into the sinister bat he was today.

(*)(*)(*)

"_Severus," she smirks as she comes across him in a deserted corridor, her eyes gleaming slightly as he pulls her into a shadowed alcove. _

"_Really, Brie?" he raises an eyebrow at her, "You do know how dangerous it is for us to be seen together?"_

"_Yes, yes, I know, The Dark Lord Moldensnort and all that, but I haven't seen you in weeks," she scolds. It's true and she's worried about him – she doesn't want him to get hurt fulfilling his role as a double agent for their side. She finds it amusing that she considers herself one of them and perhaps she's just presuming, but over the years, Hogwarts has become her home. _

"_My duties carry a degree of risk that keeps me busy," he sighs. He hates that he hasn't been able to be there for her either._

_She smiles sadly as she presses a kiss to his cheek and leaves the alcove, knowing that the war is just beginning._

(*)(*)(*)

Brie apologises to him that night and is met with scorn and hostility. It's no less that she's expected but at the same time she's a little disappointed. She wants to penetrate the enigma now, she's curious as to what made Severus Snape the person he was.

So she starts small, slipping a scrap of paper beneath his door with the words – she's still having difficulties adjusting to writing with quills – 'I really am sorry' scrawled messily across it.

(*)(*)(*)

_She may be a muggle and he may be a wizard, but at the end of the day, he's her wizard . . . and she's his muggle. _


	4. Only the Beginning

**Only the Beginning**

**_A/N: This one-shot, written by Tigress (Whitetiger91), explores a little about Lauren Potter (as I have interpreted her), Pureblood half-sister of James Potter and daughter of Marissa Devine and Charles Potter. She was created by the talented Sable Supernova and is featured in her fics 'How to Get by When We Are All Telling Lies,' 'Common Grounds,' 'Of Rhododendrons and Regulus Black,' as well as many others._**

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"Oh how I do love to ride a dragon over the mountains, oh how I do love to ride a –"

"No, no, no. How many times must I tell you, Cordelia, you are to begin with 'Twice around a cauldron we stir.' I will not have any of this… common… childish music. Now, sit your back straight and do not slouch. One, two, three."

Lauren looked up just in time to see her older sister quickly straighten her back as she sat on the rigid piano stool. Her long, silky blonde hair flowed down her back, swaying gently as the girl's body began to shake from the exertion on her small body. With trembling hands, the nine-year-old placed her stout fingers upon the bone keyboard and tentatively began to play the tune her mother had demanded she learn.

"Lauren, Lauren... Lauren! Hurry up, I want my turn," Imogen whined, jabbing the small girl at the top of her forearm.

Immediately, Lauren turned her attention back to the chess board in front of her. She focused her attention on the little black piece she intended to move, so that she did not accidentally shoot her eldest sister the scowl she wore on her face. In all the five years she had known the girl, Lauren thought that it was not worth getting into an argument with Imogen; not if she didn't want a number of small bruises on her thin arms. Besides, if her sister was going to be kind enough to continue to teach her how to play Wizard's Chess rather than get ready for school the next week, it wouldn't do to complain.

"Sorry, Genny, I'll go now. Erm, uh, I'll go… here?" Lauren said unsurely as she commanded the little pawn to move forward diagonally.

A small smile rose to her face as the pawn bowed to its white counterpart before jumping on top of it, sending it flying over the edge of the game board. Then, just a quickly, the pawn settled itself comfortably into its new position, awaiting the next move. She loved these pieces the best; not only were they the least violent of all the chess pieces, they were also cute, small and had a funny name. Unfortunately, her sister did not seem to share her love of pawns.

"You can't do that! That's not how you play the game!" Imogen whispered angrily, her blue eyes flashing.

Flinching, Lauren crawled back a few paces. Not daring to meet Imogen's gaze, she looked at the board, wondering what she could do to fix it. Imogen's pawn had not been broken, and although the pieces often refused to move by hand unless they were to be packed up, Lauren was sure she could put it back.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry, I'll fix it now, see?"

Lifting up the white pawn, she shooed away her own black piece and put it down. Looking up at Imogen, she could see the girl's lips were rising slightly underneath her scowl. Imogen nodded once stiffly, signalling for Lauren to try again. Before she could, however, her mother's shrill voice made both girls jump.

"Put it back where you had it, girl and stop acting so foolish. I find it disappointingly weak that you would show doubt in your actions. Confidence, I say, confidence and triumph are the marks of a true witch," Marissa snapped, eyes narrowed more fiercely than Imogen could ever hope to manage. Turning to her eldest daughter with a slight sneer, she continued, "stop that sulking, Imogen, I will not tolerate such silliness in this house, am I clear?"

"Yes, mother," Imogen said sullenly, ducking her head as the heat rose to her cheeks.

Marissa watched both of her daughters for a moment, lips pursed tightly. Lauren hastily fixed up the chess pieces and crossed her legs. She looked so sweet the way she sat quietly, awaiting her next turn, causing Marissa's eyes to further narrow. How she reminded her of the girls' father; unabashedly charming and always a disappointment.

"Lauren, back straight!" Marissa ordered, before turning back to Cordelia to reprimand her for stopping. "Again, this time with more feeling – use both hands, girl!"

Satisfied that their mother was no longer watching, Imogen resumed the game. Choosing one of the larger pieces, she shot Lauren another glare before moving it, "Knight to F4."

The horse-shaped piece slid first to the side, than forward, looming over Lauren's tower-looking piece. With a sharp slither, Imogen's knight withdrew its sword before bringing it down upon the tower with a sickening crunch. Small pieces of marble scattered around the board, spraying over many of Lauren's pieces.

Imogen smirked at Lauren, nodding her head towards the board. "Your turn."

The remainder of the game continued in a similar fashion, with pieces of both Lauren's and Imogen's side disappearing into clouds of marble dust. At one point, Lauren was caught on the cheek with a piece of her own knight's shattered sword, causing a few, small droplets of blood to appear. She hadn't said anything, and had simply wiped it away with her sleeve for fear of reigniting her sister's temper and attracting their mother's attention again. In fact, she had found that apart from the searing pain on her face, she was enjoying herself. Cordelia was playing well, filling the large sitting room with soothing, classical notes.

"Bishop to, erm, bishop to D8," Imogen commanded, watching closely as her bishop moved across the board slowly. Glancing up at Lauren to see if she was watching, Imogen placed a large smile on her face. "Check."

Sighing, Lauren wracked her brain for a way out. Her most important piece, so Imogen continued to insist, was surrounded in different places by Imogen's pieces. She wasn't quite sure where the different ones were supposed to move from here, let alone which one posed the biggest threat. It didn't really matter to her, though, for she thought the king piece was rather a coward, often whimpering when one of the white pieces came too close. Surely her king should've been fierce like her queen, who was often bossy and frequently shouted out orders to Lauren?

Scanning the board carefully and ignoring the king's quivering pleas of 'help me, child, help me!' Lauren tried to find a remaining piece of hers that could help. All she had left besides her queen and king was a single pawn, a bishop and her second knight. The pawn, as much as she loved it, was far too useless at the moment as it sat stuck in front of the queen at the far end of the board. The bishop, too, appeared a lost cause, for it could only move across the white squares. Only the knight could move, yet Lauren wasn't one hundred per cent certain of the exact movements it could make.

Deciding it best to take a chance on it as Imogen huffed loudly, Lauren cautiously began to move it. "Erm, knight… knight you might go to, erm, to, to-"

"Oh, do hurry up, will you?" Imogen interrupted.

Her voice sounded strange and when Lauren looked up, she could see that her eyes were nervously darting back and forth from the knight, Lauren's king, and Imogen's queen. Lauren knew that the knight was supposed to move in a funny 'L' shape and, focusing on the queen, wondered if perhaps her knight could take over the queen. Judging by the way Imogen licked her lips and was muttering very quietly under her breath, she guessed that she was probably right.

"Alright, knight to B5," Lauren began, looking up at Imogen.

Her older sister was shaking her head slowly, her eyes wide with fear as the knight galloped forward slowly. Her knuckles were pressed into the folds of her long robes, turning white against the thick, purple material. The more Lauren looked, the more she thought she could see the beginnings of tears swelling in the corner of Imogen's eyes.

Not able to stand another row with Imogen, let alone upset her, Lauren quickly stuttered out a correction, "Uh, I mean, to, to, to B7." Though grumbling audibly, her knight thankfully began to turn the opposite direction.

Smiling at Imogen, Lauren waited for the girl to take her next turn. To her utmost surprise, however, Imogen looked quickly at their mother before snarling at Lauren.

"You idiot, what a stupid move! You know you could've taken my queen and saved yourself," Imogen spoke, her tone icy, "don't be such a fool. Mother has told you that triumph is important, silly girl."

Blinking slowly, finding that it was now her eyes that tears were pricking, Lauren opened and closed her mouth. No words would come out of her mouth. When they finally did, Imogen never relinquishing her glower, they came out as no more than a shaky whisper.

"But, but, Genny, I- I just- I wanted you to win."

"Ha! I don't need your help winning! I don't need your help anywhere. Merlin, how can you even hope to succeed in life by letting everyone walk all over you?" Imogen laughed nastily as she glanced at her mother quickly for approval.

"But Genny, I was just being ni-"

Both girls jumped as a loud rumble echoed throughout the room, cutting off Lauren's apology. Cordelia gasped almost as loudly, squeaking as she tried to remain upright on the stool across the room. Her mother had slammed her fists hard down upon the keys and was now glaring at the girls on the floor.

"Girls, enough! How do you expect me to have any hope of improving Cordelia's poor piano skills when you two are constantly arguing? Imogen, why don't you go and make yourself useful for once? Go prepare for school or something, go on. I shan't need to see you until it is time for dinner. Now go, get out of my sight."

Imogen turned her red face to Lauren, her pupils darkening so that her blue eyes looked black.

"This is your entire fault, idiot!" she spat, before standing up abruptly and upturning the board. Turning on her heel, she stormed out of the room, slamming the door on the way out.

Tears now spilling freely from her eyes, Lauren quietly began to pick up the fallen pieces as they demanded her attention – including an indignant queen, who shouted various insults she didn't really know the meaning of – drawing it away from the door. Carefully, tenderly, she placed them back into the carved wooden box and scooped up the dust particles, not owning a wand nor knowing the spell to repair them.

Her mother and sister soon went back to practicing the piano, playing an uplifting French ballad as she put in the chess board and replaced the lid. Small splashes of water hit the polished, dark cover as she snapped the bronze lock into place, realising that this was probably be the last time she would ever play with her sister again.


End file.
